Shades of grey

The new house is finally finished I think... until I decide to change colours or the style!
The coffee coloured walls have welcomed the furniture which I distressed in various shades of grey/linen/taupe. I placed my grey metal candelabra at the entrance just close to the new piece of furniture which I finished just before we moved ~ a quick coat of paint, wax and lined with French linen fabric (present from Kangaroovalleycollections owner Wendy.
I added rugs of rustic colours, purchased in Haven & Space in Berry, which always keeps abundance of affordable decor items for the budding decorator. The rugs tie the brown of the leather couch, wrought iron pieces and the softer colours of the linen sofa and harmonise with the colours in between (the yellow/duck blues/terracotta reds/olive green of my favourite French posters).
The new iron lamp bought on sale has found its perfect spot above the buffet table and was installed by an electrician friend.
The Toile de Jouy curtains ~ my pride and joy to this day ~ (fabric purchased online and hemmed by my talented friend Dianne) have claimed the entrance windows. To accompany them I recently purchased a pair of already made curtains from Spotlight on sale. I adore them. They make that grand floral statement that I use often as a 'dare to marry' in my decor. The fabric captures the yellows/duck blues/strawberry red/linden green.
The carpet this time is actually not that bad and is in simple greys ~ it is obviously not my favourite choice as I marvel at the prospect of wooden floors in this house ~ but as a renter I do not have a choice in the ground base for my decor so I settle to play with the game of cards handed out to me...In lieu of coffee table, I placed an old travelling chest which I painted in blue/grey tones and for which cast iron hinges were added. It holds the blankets/doonas and releases a eucalyptus fragrance each time it is open.
To hide a major problem in our new decor ~ (the old bulging fridge was stepping in the dining room from the narrow adjacent kitchen) I added a pair of shutters which I painted in linen colour. Found at the local tip they were the 'quick-to-be-resolved' solution by my handy husband.
And one of my last favourite element the Toile de Jouy lampshade! made from tea towels dipped in Parisian Essence, sewn together and tied with twine, just an old vintage brooch to give it that unique 'straight from Paris' look....
the things we do when the budget is limited but the creative juice keeps flowing....
simply love D E C O R A T I N G!
NB ~ all the furniture in Marianne Cohen's house have been restored, revamped, salvaged...given a second life ~ apart from the linen sofa 'Sofa Roi des Sofas' a fabulous buy at Country Living